Protecting light transmitting elements



Nowi. 21, 1944. c; HUTcHrNGs 2,363,422

PROTECTING LIGHT TRANSMITTING ELEMENT Filed July 6, 1942 CHARLES FRANKLYN HUICHI NGS INVENTOR B ATTORNE'YS Patented Nov. 21, 1944 umreo STATE PROTECTING LIGHT TRANSMITTING ELEMENTS CharlesFranklyn l -lutchings, Perinton, N. .Y., as-

signor to. Bausch & Lomb Optical Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of ,New York Application July 6, 1942,. Serial. No. 449,884,

2 Claims.

My invention relates tolight transmitting elementsused in ophthalmic and optical'devices and more particularly has reference. to means for protecting the surfaces thereof from dirt, dust andscratches. "One object of the invention is to protect the surfaces of a light transmitting member from dirt, dust and accidental abrasion by the use of sheets: ofcovering material which are removably adhered to the parts of these surfaces used for vision. Another object is to"provide each of the transmitting surfaces of a light transmitting element, which is adapted to be'carri'ed in a mount, with a removable covering member which protects the surface prior tofinountingthe .ele.

element without necessitating the unmounting" of the latter. A further object of my invention resides in the combination of an ophthalmic mounting and an eyepiece therefor which has protected light transmitting faces.

,These and other objects and advantages reside "in certain novel" features of construction, ar-

"rangement and combination of parts as will be hereinafter more fully setforth and claimed.

'I'o make the invention more clearly under Figure 2- is an end elevation of the element shown in Figure l. I Figure 3 is aplan view showing the light transmitting element of Figures 1 and '2 employed with an ophthalmic mounting.

" It'has been heretofore proposed to form light -transmitting members, such as lenses, eyepieces and the like, of transparent plastic material.

" 'Material of this nature posseses thecharacteris" tics ofattracting lint, dirt anddust which accumulate on the surfaces thereof. Also plastic material is relatively soft and becomes easily scratched or abraded in handling.

Plastic material is adapted for many ophthalmic and optical purposes, for example, toform' -eyepieces for protecting goggles. However,'un

der customary handling practices, elements ofthis character would reach the user in an unsightly condition due to the accumulation of foreign substances thereon and possibly so badly scratched as to make their employment undesirable. a

To ameliorate these just mentioned difficulties, I use sheets of covering material which are removably engaged by a suitable adhesive to the light transmitting faces of the element to be protected and allow the same to remain thereon until the element is put to its intended use. In illustrating this practice, I have shown my in- 'vention as applied to a protective goggle which is of well known construction and which employs an eyepiece orlens'blank Ill of conventional form. 7

The eyepiece l0, shown in Figures 1 and 2, is cut from sheet material and has the polished and opposite light transmitting faces ll. When the eyepiece In is maintained in a flat position, the faces I! are substantially parallel. Preferably, the eyepiece is formed of suitable transparent plastic material although the scope of the invention comprehends the formation of the eyepiece of anytransparent material including glass. At the same time, it is desirable, where the eyepiece Ill is'to be bent into a curved shape, to employ material of a flexible character.

, For protecting thefaces H, I make use of sheet material in the'form of covering members l2, each of which is applied directly to a face H of the eyepiece. The material forming the protective coveri'ngi members I2 is of a character which is" impervious to or which will resist dirt and similar foreign substances so that the covered area of the eyepiece will be kept free of the same. Also the sheet covering material is of a character which will resist abrasion so as to prevent the light transmitting facesv from being accidentallyscratchedi In addition, covering material of a flexible character is chosen so that it may be equally well employed without damage to the material on a light transmitting member having in using a pressure sensitive adhesive resides in the fact that it permits a covering member H! to be readily removed merely stripping or peelapplied. The adhesive is of a character which will not damage the surface to which it is adhered and on removal of the covering member will leave such surface in a clean condition and ready for use. If desirable, the sheet material used for the protective covering members I2 may be coated with a reusable adhesive to permit the members I 2 to be reapplied to the faces I I.

Sheet material having a pressure sensitive adhesive on one side thereof is well known to the art and needs no detailed description. While such type of protective sheeting is preferred, it is to be noted that my invention, in its broadest aspect, includes the use of sheeting which is secured to a surface by other than pressure sensitive adhesives.

Each covering member I 2 has an outline which simulates that of a face I I of the eyepiece I and.

may be provided at one side, generally on the temple side, with an extension portion I l which serves as a tab or gripping means used to facilitate the stripping of a covering member from the eyepiece. In addition, the area of each covering member 42 is less than the area of the face that it is to cover. This permits a protective covering member I2 to be located on each face I! so that its edge is approximately symmetrically located with respect to the edge of such face. As a result, there is provided an uncovered outer section or margin I5 which borders 7 the edge of each face II. This outer section extends substantially around each face of an eyepiece to leave a relatively large inner section on the face to which the covering is applied, the uncovered section I5 being interrupted only when a tab 54 is engaged with the eyepiece. The inner section is the usable portion of the eyepiece, 'that is to say,-the portion through which light rays are adapted to pass.

The uncovered sections I5 left on faces I I are adapted to be engaged between the seat portion of a mounting and the flange portion of a cooperating bezel. By suitable selection of the area for each covering member I2, the margin I5 on each face is made wide enough to extend inside of the mounting member which engages it so as to allow ready removal of the covering member I2 from an eyepiece carried in a mounting. Obviously, no attention need be given to preserving the optical qualities and appearance of the pe-' ripheral sections I5 on an eyepize as these sec tions are not intended to transmit light and are adapted to be engaged between and to be covered by mounting members.

In instances where the covering members I2 are each provided with a tab portion I4, these tabs are pulled or rolled back from the edge of the eyepiece preparatory to mounting the latter. By this expedient, each covering member I2 remains unengaged between the mounting members which support the eyepiece. Afterinsertion of an eyepiece within a mount, the tab portions I4 may be left rolled back, or may be turned under, or may be unrolled and pushed towards their initial positions and into contact with the portions of the mounting members which are enbridge connection which secures the mounting of Figure 3 to a second similar mounting. These connection and hinge means employ a flexible strap I9 which extends through openings in the eyecup and bezel of each mounting of a pair of goggles and also through a conventional adjusting buckle 20.

At the temple side of each bezel I8 there is a lug 2| which has a hasp 22 pivoted thereon for latching engagement with a head band post on the temple side of the eyecup for the bezel. Each hasp is retained in engagement with its head band post by a resilient ring 23 which is removably inserted within an opening in the head band post. A ring 23 for each mounting is secured to an end of a head band 24 used with the goggles.

To insert an eyepiece in a mounting I6, the head band 24 and ring 23 are disengaged and hasp 22 is moved to unlatch the bezel and eyecup. This permits the mounting to be opened on swinging the bezel I8 away from its eyecup I! about the hinge at the nasal end of the mount.

An eyepiece I0 may have its covering members I2 removed before mounting but preferably the covering members are left thereon to facilitate mounting while affording protection to the eyepiece. In the latter instance, when tabs I4 are provided on the covering members, the tabs are rolled back in the manner shown in Figure 3. With the tabs in this position, the eyepiece is seated within the interior of the bezel of the mounting and the bezel is swung about its hinge into engagement with its eyecup to which the bezel is latched. It is to be noted that each covering member I2 lies within'the edge of themounting member in contact with the eyepiece face to which the covering member is applied. By this construction, the covering members are readily removable from the faces they cover.

The covering members I2 may be peeled from the seated eyepiece or they may be left thereon in the event that the assembled goggles are to be stored. Where the latter is the case, tabs I4 may remain in rolled condition or as heretofore noted, each tab may be turned under itself or may be unrolled to recover the eyepiece and overlie a portion of its adjacent mounting member I! or I8. Whatever disposition is made of the tabs when the covering members I2 remain on a mounted eyepiece, it is to be observed that the covering members mask substantially the entire inner section or usable light transmitting por tion of each. face to which they are applied. Thus, the area of each eyepiece face which is confined within the contacting portion of a mounting member I! or I 8 will be efiectively guarded from the collection of dirt and dust and against damage by accidental scratching.

The covering members I2 are particularly useful in protecting the eyepieces in goggles or other ophthalmic mountings against harm received from general handling operations, such as assembly, shipment, storage and the like, encountered prior to placing the mountings into use. As intimated, the goggles are made ready for use by stripping away the covering member I2, whereupon eyepieces with substantially clean and unscratched surfaces will be presented.

An important feature of my invention resides in the application of covering members to unmounted light transmission members such, for example, as eyepieces I ll. This expedient permits one or more eyepieces to be conveniently carried, for example in a coat pocket, without fear of harming an eyepiece. To put such aneyepiece to use, it is merely necessary to remove'the eyepiece it is desired to replace, insert the extra eyepiece in the mounting and peel the covering members from the eyepiece.

Because flexible covering material is employed, it is possible to protect light transmitting members which are flat in form and which are themselves of flexible character with the advantages 1 and benefits attendantto the packing, shipping, storing and carrying of articles rather than curved surfaces.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that not contacted by said holder; and means integral I have attained the aims and objects of my invention in that I have provided simple yet effective means forprotecting the usable transmitthereof arecontacted by said holder; and a flex ible abrasion resisting member removably secured to each face of said element to protect the same against damage by abrasion, said member being substantially impervious to dust and dirt and covering substantially the entire face of said lens with each member and forming a'manually graspable tab for completely removing the member from said face after the lens has been mounted in said holder. g A

2. An eye protecting device comprising a lens; an eyecup; a bezel; means for clamping said lens between said eyecup and bezel with the peripheral portions of the two faces thereof engaged by said eyecup and be zel; means for proting surfaces of finished light transmitting members from acquiring a blemished appearance, in the course of the handling they receive prior to their employment, by means of inexpensive covering material of a character which is easily applied and removed from such surfaces.

I claim: p I g .1. A new article, of manufacture comprising'a lens element adapted to be mounted in a holder whereby the peripheral portions of each face tecting the faces of said lens from dirt,-dust,and scratches prior to the use of the device, said means comprising a flexible abrasion resistingsheet covering all but the engaged peripheral portions of each face, each sheet being adhesively secured to a face and removable therefrom; and means, integral with each sheet,

from the face of the lens.

CHARLES FRANKLYN HUTCHINGS.

forming a tab I which may'be manually grasped by a user for stripping the sheet 

